Thursday, February 02, 2012

Bharat was divided
on the basis of religion into India
and Pakistan (and now Bangladesh).
Thereafter India
was split into several pieces on the basis of languages. Tamil Nadu and Kerala
came into being on the basis of languages, but the umbilical chord that runs
through the nation in the form of our common culture and civilization cannot be
erased so easily. Moreover, Malayalam, the language of Kerala, is nothing but
an offspring of Sanskrit and Tamil in almost equal measure. But the horrific
picture of a Mullaperiyar Dam (situated in Kerala for providing water for a few
districts in Tamil Nadu) that is about to burst at any time has brought in more
damage to the friendliest of relations that have existed for hundreds of
generations. An innocuous dam that is providing lifeline to more than four
districts of Tamil Nadu has suddenly become a water bomb that is threatening
the lives of millions in Kerala.

Every dam is a
potential hazard and it is definitely more so when it is over a hundred years
old. Mankind has mastered the science of predicting almost anything except of
course a few natural phenomena like earth quakes. They can occur at any place
and at any time. The scientific explanations in terms of fault planes that
occur later remain as irrelevant and useless as our explanations about the
fluctuations in currency rates and gold prices after they occur. But such
unpredictable natural phenomena have never prevented mankind from progress and
development. We have always found reasonable solutions to all our problems by
use of appropriate technology in scientific ways. The same scientific temper
should have taken the lead in finding a solution to the dam issue. But instead
some known evil forces have taken the lead to misuse the opportunity for their
own petty ends. The damage it has done is much more far-reaching than the reach
of life-giving water it provides.

Real Reasons

Biggest bane of
Kerala’s political democracy is the existence of ‘needle’ communal parties and
its complete polarization into two political coalitions. Though power always
shifts from one to the other every five years, these needle parties always find
a few slots in the ministries and that invariably results in the undoing of
whatever good the ministries achieve. It is quite surprising to note how such
rabidly communal parties can operate in a so-called secular country. A nation
which was divided on the basis of religion can allow the growth of communal
political parties only at its own peril. Yet the narrow political objective of
the so-called national parties is failing the soul of Indian nation once again.
There are so many reasons to conclude that the present spurt in dam alarm is on
account of meeting of minds of two such rabidly communal political parties in power
– one with intense local interests and another one because they are indifferent
about the place.

The timing of the
spurt in agitation is also very much noticeable. Sabarimala shrine has been a
problem for many for many decades because of its location amidst an unfriendly
environment. Its unprecedented growth in terms of number of pilgrims and the
resultant potential of evolving into a much awaited unifying force multiplier
cutting across all forms of man-made divisions within the majority community is
a nightmare for many political players in the God’s Own country. The state has
the maximum number of emigrants and most of the major decisions about Kerala
now are taken abroad by collegiums of our own men and international forces with
their own agenda. It rarely happens but the dam provided a unique opportunity
for all the players to come together and make the best ‘use’ of the dam. After
the Sabarimala season the whole cacophony has died down and that makes the
situation much more suspicious.

Real Solutions

But the potential
problem associated with any water reservoir dam is always existent and it has
to be addressed in normal course in a purely scientific manner. A dam is also
to be treated as a utility with an economic value associated with it, and like
all utility equipment, its annual depreciation must provide enough reserves to
rebuild once it passes the allowable age. Mullaperiyar dam has already crossed
its limit and technologists must suggest the best solution. India has some
of the best technological institutions and brains in the current world and it
is not at all an issue to get a study done within a few months. Politics is a
curse when it gets mixed with anything else and politicians must be kept out of
the picture in all such scientific pursuits. This should include even those who
have come into politics from the fields of science and technology. Only
‘sitting’ technologists must indulge in such scientific studies. And in a
democracy like India
the final decision will always be that of the elected government.

It is also time for
all of us to understand that other than unconditional love (which is perhaps
only from parents and spouse), all that sustains our lives has a price.
Strictly speaking there is absolutely nothing that is free of cost. This is
true with regard to the air we breathe, the water we drink and the earth we
tread on. Whatever be the history behind it, all the beneficiaries of
Mullaperiyar dam must realize that they have to pay for the services it is
providing and allow for reconstruction when its useful life is over. It is
drinking water and breathing air, and not oil and gas, that are going to be the
premium commodities in twenty first century. The beneficiary state must be
willing to compensate the rightful owner of dam and its water in the case of
Mullaperiyar. Kerala and Tamil Nadu must be willing to finalise a purely
commercial agreement for sale of water, and not in wasting their time and
energy by allowing petty politics (and politicians) to hijack such sensitive
issues.

But
all said and done, the damage caused in the name of dam’s age, is going to take
years to heal. The mean manipulators have also tasted success by the fall in
number of Sabarimala pilgrims and the sense of insecurity it has created among
those who visited Sabarimala this year. There is no doubt that the same evil
forces will be at full bloom next year too at the same time to repeat their
show of insane solidarity. They know very well that a few years of repeated
efforts will achieve what they really intended. Barring the laudable levels of
literacy achieved by the state, all other indications about Kerala are highly
alarming and worrisome. The God’s Own Country in terms of its landscape and
natural resources is slowly slipping into another Valley of Discontent,
quite in line with a nasty NRI agenda.